Rail brace



T. G. s'rlLE RAIL ACE Filed March 2'7, 1928 INVENTOR HIS ATTORNEY Ma 14 l llntented May 14, 1929.

n r n GEGRGE STIIIEE), F ARLINGTUN, JERSlTZ'.

nan BRAGE.

Application filed March 2'2,

l his inventionrelates to rail braces and more particularly to rail braces of the type disclosed in Letters Patent No. 1,230,53 l, gran ted to me June 19, 1917. V i

I The rail brace of my aforesaid patent coinprises a rail-engaging member supported on a tie-plate or other support for adjustment in a direction crosswise of the rail, a second meml'ier mounted on the tie-plate or other support in fixed relation thereto, and a wedge device interposed between the opposing faces of said members and operative for forcing the rail-engaging member against the ad jacent rail to locate the latter in desired position and thereafter firmly holding the same in such position. As a means for maintaining the wedge device in its operative position between the said members, the latter are undercut on their adjacent or opposing faces to provide a channel or hey-way between the same in which the wedge is received and maintained. Because of the adjustability of the railengagingmember with respect to the opposing or resistance member, however, there is left an open space between the members at a point above the wedge device which permits of the entry of dirt, snow and other foreign matter into the wedge housing channel or hey-way between the members which obviously interferes with the desired manipulation of the wedge in the way of adjustment, removal etc. Because of such. objection in cident to this open top of the wedge housing channel or hey-way it has been the object of my present invention to improve the rail brace by the provision of a closed top for said channel or hey-way which. will permit of all necessary adjustments of the Jarts as here tofore. This object I attain by the novel construction and arrangement of parts here inafter described and claimed and as illustrated in the accompanying drawi ngs in which F 1 is a plan of my improved rail brace in operative relation to a section of rail, and

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same.

Similar reference characters indicate like parts in both figures of the drawings.

The rail-engaging member, indicated at 2 is here shown as adapted for engagement with a stock rail 3, which is mounted in usual man nor on a tie-plate 5 carried on an ordinary railroad tie. This member 2 is slidably mounted on the tie-plate for adjustment in a direction crosswise or transversely of the rail. For

1928. Serial No. 265,115

cooperation with the adj ustable member 2 is a fixed member, indicated at a, hero shown as fixedly attached to the tie-plate 5 in aposition opposite the member 2 by suitable fastoning means, such as rivets 'l.

The member 2, as hereinbefore l'tiff0"t'(5ll to, is intended to have movement relative to the member 4i in a direction crosswise of the rail for the purpose of locating and holdmg the rail in any desired adjusted position, and this function is obtained, as here shown by providing a pair of wedges between the members 2 and 4:. The adjacent faces of said members, as in the device of my aforesaid patent. are so shaped as to form between them a channel or key-way of substantially hourglass form when viewed in plan. The outline of this channel or hey-way is indicated. in the ll'lGll'lllOl' 2 by the reference numerals 8. 9 and 10, and in the member 4 by corres 'ionding reference numerals 11, 12 and 13.

in the angular channel thus formed place the means f r adjusting the ineinher 2 crosswise of the rail. 'llhe means euiplovcd coinpriscs a pair of ojjipositely facing wedges, such as 16 and 17, and suitable means for slur po ting; them in place intho channel and um ntainiug them in any desired position of ai'l us-itiuent with respect to each other. The cone ruction shown is one in which two wcilgcsu substantially oblong in cross-am:t'ion are bored to receive a tie-bolt, such as l8 the head "l 9 of which constitutes a resistance point or stop for local ine and also for :icl'iuat no the ii'edgc i while the other end of said tie-bolt is passau through a cor: )ndinr; bore in the wot i and. has suitable means of any well l YlHH-Vil huh such as a nut 5 and a split washer 9,1 for li' the pa in place after the proper adj tment has ooen iiiada The two Wt s or wedb'c bloc iii and 17 substantially ut he tapered 'n'irtions of the hey-way the sides of wl'iich are defined bv the walls 8-L.l) and ll 1.2). and it will be obvious that when the not 20 is tightened to bring the well e blocks 16 and i7 closer too the member 2 will be moved crosswise i ail.

owing; to the fc that the member l which coil icit-ates there h is a 'iintiu'o. ll he move mentwill of coi'irso be sufficient to locate the rail 3 in its proper position crosswise of the track and to hold it firmly in place. After the desired adjustment has been obtained, the member 2 may be securely fastened to the tieplate on' which it is mounted by any suitable means, such as the bolts 22 passing through the member 2 and throughthe tie-plate 5 and kcy-way'between the adjacent faces of the members 2 and 4 is formed, in the brace of my aforesaid patent, by undercutting said faces, whereby an overlying ledge is formed at the upper edge of each member, the adjacent edges of which ledges are spaced apart in orderfto permit of the adjustment of the railengaging member2 relatively to the fixed or resistance member 4, and which spacing apart of the ledges permitted of the entry of dirt, snow and other foreign matter into the channel. In accordance with my present invention, -I provide one of the members with a flange which extends therefrom at a point adjacent its inner upper edge to a point somewhat beyond the inner upper edge of the opposing member and completely overlying the intervening space or channel between the members. This flange, indicate/(lat 25, may extend from either one of the members to a point beyond the adjacent face of the opposing member, butpreferably and as here shown it is formed integral with the member 2 and extends'therefrom beyond the adjacent face of the member 4 in close relation to its upper edge, as best shown in Fig. 2. The extent to which the outer edge of the flange 25 extends beyond the member f may vary more or less, but in any event it should he of suliicient length to completely overlie the channel between the members as a cover therefor while permitting of any desired or necessary adjustment of the movable member 52 with respect to the fixed member 4. \Vith a cover thus provided for the channel between the members, such channel is kept clean and free from foreign matter and the wedging device housed therein is always in condition to be readily adjusted or otherwise manipulated.

What I claim is:

, A rail brace comprising an adjustable rail engaging member, an opposing member in spaced relation to the first member providing a channel thercbetween, the opposing faces of said members being provided with oppositely inclined wedging surfaces, a pair of spaced oppositely facing wedges positioned in the channel between the coacting inclined faces of the two members, and means extending laterally beyond said channel for engaging said wedges and n'iovin'g the same relatively to each other, one of said members being provided with an unbroken flange projecting beyond the adj accnt face of the opposing member and overlying the intervening channel as a cover therefor.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

THOMAS GEORGE STlLES. 

